You may be surprised to hear that COPD in women is more common. In fact, women are 37 percent more likely to have COPD than men. Women also account for more than half of all deaths attributed to COPD in the United States. Therefore, women, not men, are at a higher risk for COPD.

COPD in Women

COPD was once considered a “man’s disease.” It seemed like it struck older, white men more than any other group. American soldiers were given cigarettes in their rations for years, and well-known images of the Marlboro Man reinforced the link between men and smoking.

Though the Marlboro Man (who later died of COPD) embodied the look of a rugged, male smoker, smoking was also extremely popular among women. The number of women smokers in the United States is currently at 18.3 percent of the adult female population, but in the 1950s, it was estimated to be 40 to 45 percent. According to the American Lung Association, “the rise of COPD in women is closely tied to the success of tobacco industry marketing.” Cigarette smoking was not prevalent in women in the early 20th century, but smoking popularity grew by mid-century due partly to ads directed at women.

Though the rate of smoking in the United States has gone down considerably, COPD is still a major health risk for women. And adding to the problem is the fact that women are underdiagnosed and undertreated as compared to men. But the facts remain: COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in women.

Why are Women Affected More?

If men and women both smoke or are both exposed to harmful fumes over a long period of time, why are women adversely affected more? There are a few reasons why women are at a higher risk for COPD.

Biological factors and anatomy play a large role in the female risk for COPD. Women usually have smaller lungs than men. Hence, irritants like cigarette smoke or workplace dust and fumes, enter the lungs at a higher concentration. Down the road these substances can cause symptoms of COPD in women.

Women with COPD are 1.5 times more likely never to have smoked than men with COPD. This statistic demonstrates that women are more susceptible to lung damage than men. This includes women who have never smoked. Other causes of COPD include secondhand smoke, pollution and workplace exposures including agricultural or industrial dust or fumes.

The primary female hormone, estrogen, also contributes to lung damage from smoking or other irritants. Estrogen breaks down nicotine faster than the lungs can get rid of it. With prolonged exposure to nicotine, it builds up and worsens lung damage. Nicotine is an addictive substance present in tobacco products.

The Bright Side

This news may seem grim, especially to women who have smoked, had prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke, or worked in a factory or industry with harmful fumes. But there is always hope, and there is good news. Women who stop smoking get their lung function back more quickly than men. Although quitting is not easy, it is the best way to ensure that no more damage happens to your lungs.

Earlier detection and treatment is also possible, and could make a big difference. Unfortunately, for many women with COPD, it is difficult to get an accurate diagnosis, or women wait too long to seek help. Being constantly out of breath, having a chronic cough (especially with mucus), wheezing or chest tightness are symptoms that should be taken seriously.

If you or a loved one has COPD or other lung disease and want to learn more about treatment options, contact us or call (800) 729-3065.

* All treatments performed at Lung Institute utilize autologous stem cells, meaning those derived from a patient's own body. No fetal or embryonic stem cells are utilized in Lung Institute's procedures. Lung Institute aims to improve patients' quality of life and help them breathe easier through the use of autologous stem cell therapy. To learn more about how stem cells work for lung disease, click here.

All claims made regarding the efficacy of Lung Institute's treatments as they pertain to pulmonary conditions are based solely on anecdotal support collected by Lung Institute. Individual conditions, treatment and outcomes may vary and are not necessarily indicative of future results. Testimonial participation is voluntary. Lung Institute does not pay for or script patient testimonials.

Under current FDA guidelines and regulations 1271.10 and 1271.15, the Lung Institute complies with all necessary requirements for operation. The Lung Institute is firmly in accordance with the conditions set by the FDA for exemption status and conducts itself in full accordance with current guidelines. Any individual who accesses Lung Institute's website for information is encouraged to speak with his or her primary physician for treatment suggestions and conclusive evidence. All information on this site should be used for educational and informational use only.

As required by Texas state law, the Lung Institute Dallas Clinic has received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from MaGil IRB, now Chesapeake IRB, which is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program (AAHRPP), for research protocols and stem cell procedures. The Lung Institute has implemented these IRB approved standards at all of its clinics nationwide. Approval indicates that we follow rigorous standards for ethics, quality, and protections for human research.

Privacy & Security Practices

The Lung Institute takes patient privacy seriously. The law requires that our healthcare facilities and medical personnel protect the privacy of your medical record and other health information We are also required to notify you of our privacy practices with regard to your Protected Health Information. This Privacy & Security Notice explains how your medical information is protected under HIPAA and HITECH laws and how your information may be used, disclosed, and accessed.

Internet Privacy Disclosure

The Information We Collect: The Lung Institute collects information by various methods including information actively provided by its lead providers, customers and information arising from customer surveys and general feedback.
The types of personal information we collect include name, contact information, identification information, credit information and other data types as appropriate. Contact information may be added to database for customer outreach and contact. Credit card information is used for billing purposes only. We may record calls to or from our patient care coordinators/customer service representatives for purposes of accuracy, performance reviews, training and general quality assurance.

How We Use This Information: This information is used to aid in the provision of our various products and services, including customer service, accounting, billing, collections and the marketing of other products services.
The Lung Institute may use aggregate or anonymous information for various uses for itself and third parties.

Who We Share This Information With: The Lung Institute does not share personal information with any third parties except as disclosed in this policy. The Lung Institute may provide personal information to the Lung Institute’s subcontractors and professional advisers (which shall be bound by privacy obligations) to assist the Lung Institute’s uses disclosed herein.

Security: Personal information is stored in a combination of paper and electronic files. They are protected by security measures appropriate to the nature of the information.

Accessing Information: Individuals may review their personal information contained in the Lung Institute’s files by contacting the Lung Institute’s privacy officer. If an individual believes that any of their personal information is inaccurate, we will make appropriate corrections.

Cookies: Cookies are used by the Lung Institute for the convenience of our users. Cookies automatically authenticate the user. A user can access the Lung Institute’s website with the cookie feature turned off. However, in doing so they may find themselves challenged for username and password information on multiple occasions. The Lung Institute also uses cookies to track user’s visits and uses that information to improve the user’s experience.

This cookie does not in any way identify you or give us access to your computer. In addition to using cookies as described above, we also may permit certain third party companies like Google Analytics to help us tailor advertising that we think may be of interest to users and to collect and use other data about user activities on our Sites and/or Services (e.g., to allow them to tailor ads on third party services). These companies may deliver ads that might also place cookies and otherwise track user behavior. You may choose to opt out of cookies by clicking here.

Links: The Lung Institute’s website may contain links to information at other websites. When you click on one of these links, you are moving to another website. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of these linked sites as their privacy policy may differ from ours.

Social Media: Lung Institute has multiple social media pages including: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest. Lung Institute social media pages are managed by Lung Institute staff members who post news and other items of interest to be consumed by the public. If you have a social media account, you can log in to your account to post comments, and 'like' or ‘follow’ Lung Institute social media pages and individual entries. If once you click on a lung Institute social media page, you comment or click on the 'like' button, your Protected Identifiable Information (PII) will be visible to Lung Institute staff and other social media site visitors. The amount of visible personal information displayed will depend on your own Social Media privacy settings. You can completely avoid displaying any PII by not creating a Social Media account, not posting comments, not clicking on the 'like' or ‘follow’ options, or interacting with Lung Institute Social Media accounts in any way (i.e., private messaging, sharing Lung Institute posts, etc.). Lung Institute staff does not collect, use or disclose any information about visitors who comment, 'like' or ‘follow’ the Lung Institute Social Media sites. However, as a practice, comment moderator policy requires the removal from Lung Institute Social Media pages of any comments that contain spam or are improper, inflammatory, or offensive. The information is then saved on a password-protected shared drive accessible to Lung Institute Managers, System Owners, Communications Staff, Web Teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties.

General: The Lung Institute may amend this policy from time to time. If such amendments affect how the Lung Institute uses or discloses personal information already held by the Lung Institute in a material way, the Lung Institute will obtain consent.
Notwithstanding the general terms of this policy, the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information may be made outside of the terms herein to the extent provided for in any applicable privacy or other legislation in effect from time to time.
The Lung Institute may disclose personal information to another entity purchasing (including for diligence purposes prior to purchase) the assets of the Lung Institute, provided that entity abides by this or a similar privacy policy.